If it came down to a real fight, perhaps only Shino was in the same league as Neji from the previous round.
Normally, Shino Aburame was quite unnoticeable. But when he did speak, his words were always very realistic.
Yet this time, Shino had made a mistake.
Shiki remained silent. Though in the battle taking place right now, Hinata's offense was clearly much stronger than Neji's, even landing two Gentle Fist strikes on him—this was only what appeared on the surface.
Shiki keenly observed that during the exchange between Neji and Hinata, Neji clearly made many subtle moves—moves undetectable to others. But for Shiki, they were clearly visible attacks targeting the chakra pathways.
How familiar this felt—those days when they used to hold medical training dummies and memorize chakra points by force.
Shiki sighed slightly, though his eyebrows didn't relax even a bit. He kept watching the match, worry etched across his face.
Strictly speaking, Neji had already been holding back somewhat—perhaps intentionally making Hinata feel the weight of despair.
At least for now, Neji harbored immense hatred toward the Main House: hatred for the Cage Bird sealing him, hatred for the Cage Bird sealing his father, hatred for the Cage Bird restraining the entire Hyuga Branch House.
Just as expected, the tide of the battle was turning again. Hinata launched a direct punch—an attack infused with chakra aimed at disrupting Neji's energy flow.
But this time, Neji held nothing back anymore!
In an instant, Neji's Gentle Fist struck Hinata before she even had a chance to react.
Thud!
A spray of blood burst forth. The previously dominant Hinata suddenly seemed much weaker.
Neji quickly grabbed Hinata's arm and pulled her sleeve all the way up to her shoulder.
Countless bruises surfaced—
[Pressure Points Sealed!]
"Hinata-sama, you're not suited to be a ninja. Give up," Neji said coldly.
Yet Hinata still refused to surrender, continuing to fight against Neji.
"C'mon, Hinata! Don't give up! You *will* defeat him!" Naruto shouted. Even when everyone else doubted Hinata still had any hope, he kept cheering for her.
Everyone was worried about Hinata, yet after hearing Naruto's words, they didn't know what to say.
Naruto's intentions were good, but wasn't this kind of encouragement rather misplaced at a moment like this?
Still, in the end, no one voiced their thoughts—because Hinata herself seemed to echo those exact words, persisting fiercely.
However...
Finally, someone in the spectator seats couldn't take it anymore.
Shiki suddenly narrowed his eyes furiously, glaring at Naruto while releasing another wave of intimidation.
"You damn fool!!! Stop forcing your beliefs onto others, Naruto Uzumaki! What you think... is beyond what Hinata can bear!"
No one expected Shiki—usually so calm—to yell at Naruto, one of his closest friends, like that.
Naruto also turned his head, glaring at Shiki. "She *will* win! I believe in her!"
Chapter 158 – Collapse
"Do you really think Hinata can win?" Shiki asked coldly.
Perhaps in many matters, Shiki agreed with Naruto on most things.
But Shiki Uzumaki absolutely refused to agree on this point.
Perhaps it was because he already knew the outcome, or perhaps it was truly because he saw Hinata as his own little sister. Whatever the reason, at this moment, he simply could not allow Naruto to act recklessly.
Under the current assault, if Hinata continued to persist, she could really face life-threatening danger.
Naruto frowned, unable to believe that the words coming out of Shiki Uzumaki's mouth were actually so demoralizing. After all, wasn't it always Shiki Uzumaki who had supported him?
From the very beginning, Shiki Uzumaki had been the only one supporting him when others ignored him.
"Damn it, isn't Hinata treating you like her big brother? Why are you saying such defeating things? I believe in Hinata—she will win! She definitely will!"
Even faced with Shiki Uzumaki's intimidation, Naruto didn't back down in the slightest. Perhaps it was because Shiki Uzumaki hadn't yet reached a level of intimidation capable of completely overwhelming an enemy.
Or maybe it was because of how strong Naruto's belief was—he endured the pressure through sheer willpower alone.
But now, this blond-haired boy shot a fierce glare straight at Shiki Uzumaki.
Shiki Uzumaki's heart was filled with complex emotions. Previously, he never imagined a moment would come where he'd confront Naruto head-on. He had even pictured scenarios where he'd battle Sasuke to the death.
Yet looking at Hinata, repeatedly knocked down by Neji but still struggling to stand up again, Shiki Uzumaki felt his heart harden.
That fragile girl, who always liked helping others, who wished to gain others' recognition through her own efforts.
Girls can be too determined sometimes.
Once they commit to something, they rarely change course easily.
Just like Hinata right now, firmly believing in Naruto's philosophy of gaining recognition through effort and refusal to give up.
Thus, she kept rising each time she fell.
"Naruto, no matter what happens, if anything goes wrong with Hinata, I'm holding you responsible! My little sister is not your puppet!!"
Shiki Uzumaki declared harshly one last time, then redirected his gaze toward the battlefield, eyes flickering with every fall of Hinata.
Anyone could see how furious Shiki Uzumaki had become. Once appearing like a tolerant neighborhood boy seemingly able to accept everything, he had now transformed into someone unyieldingly rigid.
"Maybe Shiki went a bit too far; after all, Naruto meant well," Sakura couldn't quite understand Shiki Uzumaki's behavior, although she also didn't fully share Naruto's perspective.
But wasn't that exactly what made Naruto inspiring—his refusal to give up when no one else believed in him?
Naruto pouted stubbornly, wearing the same defiant expression he had when facing off against Sasuke.
"Come on, Hinata! We all believe you can win!"
Loud voices of encouragement rose, seemingly challenging Shiki Uzumaki's belief directly.
Hinata continued to persevere relentlessly, even though she logically should have given up long ago.
In fact, the only reason she could still stand at this point was precisely because Neji hadn't yet used serious force against her.
"It's really frustrating watching my younger sister act like this."
Shiki Uzumaki practically gritted his teeth to utter these words, his expression growing even more complicated.
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